We have many times reported the existence of various "reforming" technologies, wherein Carbon Dioxide, as arises in a very small way relative to some natural sources of emission, such as volcanoes, from our varied and productive uses of Coal, can be reclaimed, and, through reactions with light hydrocarbon gases, such as Methane, with or without the addition of Steam, be recycled in the synthesis of valuable higher hydrocarbons.

Such technology, as we have documented more than once, has been known to the US petroleum industry since the post-WWII era; and, we see herein that their interest in that technology continues, with improvements being made on a bi-reforming process that converts CO2, through reaction with light hydrocarbon gases, into a valuable hydrocarbon synthesis gas suitable for catalytic condensation, via any one of multiple technologies now known and already being used by the petroleum industry in some modern refineries, into liquid hydrocarbon fuels.

As now available via: NASA Hydrogasifies Coal with Solar Power | Research & Development | News; we recently made report of: United States Patent: 4290779 - "Solar Heated Fluidized Bed Gasification System; 1981; Assignee: NASA", wherein was revealed a technology that provides for a "solar-powered fluidized bed gasification system for gasifying carbonaceous material", i.e., Coal, with the end product being a reactive synthesis gas comprised primarily of Carbon Monoxide and suitable for further catalytic processing targeted on the manufacture of hydrocarbons.

As we indicated in that report, the United States Department of Energy seems to have followed up on those NASA developments, and subsequently, through scientists at their Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, devised their own technology for gasifying Coal without the co-generation of Carbon Dioxide; and, like NASA, doing so by using solar heat to drive the process, so that any Coal combustion for the generation of thermal energy, with some concurrent CO2 generation, is unnecessary; and, with the end product being a reactive, industrially-useful and commercially-valuable, relatively CO2-free, Carbon Monoxide-based syngas.

Herein, Exxon discloses yet another way in which Carbon Dioxide, Methane and Water can be combined in a process that yields hydrocarbon synthesis gas.

Although the process seems, in fact, to be a version of "tri-reforming", as explained, as we've documented in our reports, best and most recently by scientists at Penn State University; it is one designed to yield a "low hydrogen syngas", which has, as Exxon points out, application in the synthesis of specific types of hydrocarbons.

Herein is further confirmation of just how well-developed and well-understood the technology for liquefying Coal, to produce synthetic liquid hydrocarbons, is.

Like a few earlier we have submitted, the enclosed US Patent doesn't disclose how hydrocarbon liquids are made from Coal, but, rather, how such Coal-derived hydrocarbons can be further treated and refined, so as to provide direct replacements for petroleum-based feed stocks in the manufacture of hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals.

Note that the invention was made by a Pittsburgh-area Coal scientist, presumably in the employ of Continental Oil-owned Consolidation Coal Company.

Since today, via separate dispatch, we are sending along report of "US Patent 5,985,178 - Low Hydrogen Syngas using CO2 and a Nickel Catalyst" wherein Exxon explains their "process for making a synthesis gas comprising H2 and CO ... from a feed including ... methane ... and CO2", we wanted, herein, to again demonstrate that, if we want Methane for such CO2-recycling purposes, we can make any of it we might need, efficiently, from Coal.

There won't be a lot new herein, presuming you to have followed our posts thus far.

We have even documented other, similar technologies, for making Methane out of Coal, from Texaco; perhaps one even from the same Texaco scientist.